CATALYST

Ajax Draven's POV

I looked at myself in the mirror as I put on the black cloak given to me by my father. It was for protection, he said. Today is the day before the upbringing of the curse. It was the curse that was supposed to be lost since my mother's death, but those egoistic bunch of gods decided they wanted the curse to proceed just to get rid of me and Deion.

We were their targets from the start. He might not know it, but the upbringing of the curse is just to mask their real intention.

"How are you?" Thanatos asked as he went behind me. He fixed my cloak and my hair. "You need to be strong, Aji. Those deities will never stop until they are able to bring you down."

Kung noon, baka sa mga sandaling ito ay lubos ang kaba ko. Pero ngayon, ngayong alam ko na kung anong kaya kong gawin, hindi na ako nakakaramdam ng takot. Kahit kailan, hindi ako matatakot sa mga duwag na kagaya nila na handang ialay ang kaligtasan ng mundo para sa kaligtasan nila.

"You have come so far, son. I am so proud of you." He smiled and pulled me into a tight hug. Niyakap ko rin siya nang mahigpit, at naramdaman ko ang paghalik niya sa ulo ko. Matapos nito ay tumingin din siya sa salamin. Doon ay nakita ko si Aliyah na nasa gitna ng deities. It's about time I go out. Hindi ko maaaring hayaan na masaktan nila ang isa sa mga Stellars.

"Are you ready?" my father asked. "I am."

"Go and save them. We will follow when the time is right."

Tinanguan ko lamang siya. Nang humakbang si Zeus at Poseidon papalapit kay Aliyah ay mabilis kong binuksan ang portal papunta sa harapan nila, at ang isa pa ay sa tabi ng Stellars. I quickly stepped outside the portal and grabbed Ali by her arm and stepped inside the other portal until we reached the part where the Stellars are. Eliora quickly aided Aliyah while I stood in front of them, facing the gods who were now confused.

I felt my eyes change in color as I looked behind me, specifically at Deion who looked stunned. "Hey, Kidlat, missed me?" I said and smirked, and within a blink, I felt something warm embracing me. I chuckled and returned his hug. "Damn you, Uwak." It was what he said, but his warm hug told me otherwise.

"I know, I missed you, too." It has been a few seconds but he's still hugging me, and it gets tighter every second. "Kalas na, nawawalan ka ng angas oh, makikita ng ibang tao." Pero hindi ko inakalang ngayon ay binabalot kami ng mga ulap kaya't napailing na lang ako. Miss na miss ako.

"Hoy, Deion, hindi lang ikaw ang naka-miss d'yan," narinig kong reklamo ni Aliyah. Natawa naman siya nang bahagya at hinigpitan ang yakap sa huling pagkakataon. "We will talk after all of this, so don't you dare die on me, Uwak." Kumalas siya sa pagkakayakap sa akin at nawala na rin ang bumalot sa aming ulap kanina. Sinalubong ako ng yakap ng iba pang Stellars na narito. I can feel their longing as they hugged me. Eliora's tears are now falling on my shoulders, so I patted her head gently.

Hindi ako nagulat na wala na si Dillon, dahil bago pa man ako maitakas nina Atropos ay nalaman ko nang siya ang naglaglag sa akin sa tatay niya at sa ministry.

"Hello, Draven! I heard about you. I am Belle Aiofe, daughter of Aphrodite," a beautiful girl with pink vigor greeted and lent her hands. "Hi, I'm Ajax Draven, son of Thanatos," I said and shook her hands.

"Look at the reunion of the fools. So touching," I heard Poseidon sarcastically commented. I looked at him and saw the scar my sword left upon his face and smirked. Kung noon ay natatakot ako sa kanya, ngayon niya ako subukan. Hindi na ako natatakot sa kanilang lahat simula noong malaman ko ang kahinaan nila. "So you have come to us. You made our lives easier."

"Is he the sacrifice?" narinig kong tanong ni Ares na masama rin ang tingin sa akin.

"Indeed," Zeus replied as he played with his dagger. "If the curse does not come out, we will make him."

"Why don't we just stop this idiocy?" Athena asked, her voice full of authority.

"I agree. This has to be stopped. It would not be good for this world and our world—" Artemis agreed, but she was cut off by Hera. "You have no right to speak, you rule breaker. You don't know about the curse." The goddess's eyes rolled as she spoke.

"You're the one who does not have the right to open your mouth regarding this matter, for you are the one who grants curses the most because of your utmost insecurity!" Hephaestus angrily argued. Ares was about to speak with forehead creased but he was stopped before he could even open his mouth. "You, too, Ares! Don't you dare speak. You use your sword more frequently than your brain!"

Aphrodite opened her eyes, and I felt a wave of shivers all over my body. It was like everything was listening to her even before she could speak. "Stop." It was like an order no one can resist. Everyone fell silent. "Speak with your minds, and not with your mouths. Do not disgrace the powers we possess," her voice was as soft as cotton, but its effect was as hard as a rock.

I summoned a small amount of my vigor and started walking towards the center. The whole place was silent as they were all watching me. Only the sound of my shoes hitting the floor can be heard everywhere. I can see the smirks of the other deities and the other demigods who looked like they wanted me to die at this very moment. Fools.

"You are a threat to both the mortal and mythological realm, and you need to die in order for us to save both worlds. Your death means life for everyone. Accept your fate if you want them to be saved, son of Tha—you cursed child!" I heard Poseidon stutter which made me laugh. Even the god calls me the son of Thanatos. Hindi man lang niya itinagong nagsisinungaling sila.

Maraming incantation sa paligid ng circle ngunit dahil sa vigor ko ay nakapasok pa rin ako sa loob. Nang marating ko ang gitna ay nakipagtagisan ako ng titig sa diyos ng kalangitan. "You don't need to sacrifice me, because all you need is my blood, the one you call the cursed child. You were trying to summon the curse, not to lift it off." I said, and most of the demigods here gasped. Ang kaninang tahimik na paligid ay napuno ng bulung-bulungan at mga protesta.

"You know full well that it wasn't me that was the cursed child. You all know it was my mother! But you..." I pointed at Zeus and Poseidon whose eyes are opened wide. "You tried to set me up! Because you wanted me and Deion to die. You engraved on me the symbol I didn't originally bear, just to continue with this stupid plan." I stopped talking and heaved a deep breath. I eyed Apollo and shook my head. "You even created a false prophecy about the pruning of the vine sprouting from the infected vine just to support your other lies." Ipinikit ko panandalian ang mga mata ko para pigilan ang galit na namumuo na naman sa dibdib ko.

"The curse was lifted off seven years ago, and it was my mother's intention to sacrifice her own life for me and this world to live on. She tried to erase her existence for this world to still exist. But you were trying to summon the curse?" I know it was disrespectful to raise my voice at the deities, but what respect should they get when we are all in danger because of them? "My mother's life is the sacrifice for the curse to be lifted off, and my blood is the one you need to bring it back. You need my blood not to stop it, but to catalyze the upbringing." Then, I lazily looked at all of the deities around me, but I stared longer at the god of war, seas, and heavens. "I am never a threat to the balance of both the realms. You are just scared of me because I am your curse, I am a threat to your divinity."

Zeus' dagger appeared on my hand. This is the only way we can stop this once and for all. I summoned my vigor and channeled it onto my hand. I cut my palm and placed it right on top of the goblet. Then, before a drop of blood falls inside the goblet, I cast. "Agre."

Then, as my blood covered the goblet, the whole circle started glowing. But far from its black color, the mark shone a bright red color with a hint of orange. And before it started opening, I went back to their side through a portal. The gods disappeared from our sight as soon as an opening started to appear in the center of the circle.

"Fucking cowards," I heard Gaddiel say.

"Where the hell is this intense heat coming from? Shit! Impyerno nga!" sabi ni Aidan. Wala pa akong nararamdaman na kahit ano pero dahil sensitive ang balat ng anak ni Hephaestus sa pagbabago ng temperatura ay naramdaman niya agad.

Habang tumatagal ay palaki nang palaki ang butas sa gitna ng Central park, at mula roon ay umaalingasaw ang masangsang na amoy at naririnig ko ang magkakahalong boses ng mga taong umiiyak, humihingi ng tulong, at naghihinagpis. The cries of agony and pain from the underwolrd never fails to send me shivers.

Then, from the opening, a herd of daemons flew, followed by huge spiders and different mythological monsters. It was the first time I have seen the other creatures, but one thing's for sure since they came from the underworld, they're dangerous.

"Stellars," I heard Deion called. When everyone's attention was already directed to him, he flashed a smile. "Stay alive." The others looked stunned, but they smiled as well before running away from us, killing every monster they could reach.

I was about to walk away when a pair of hands suddenly snaked around my waist from behind. The familiar clouds filled with small lightning streaks surrounded us again. "Hey..." he called gently as he placed his face on my neck. "Don't you dare leave me again like that."

"I won't," I chuckled. Ganito pala ka-clingy ang anak ni Zeus. "Promise?" He put out his pinky finger. "Promise," I answered as I sealed it.

"Mag-ingat ka, Kidlat." 

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